The Worlds Stinkiest Attraction: Parisian Sewers
When you think of Paris, you think of the storybook streets, the beautiful architecture, and the Eiffel Tower—not the sewers. Yet, if you’re like me, you’ll likely find them every bit as interesting.
A few weeks ago, my wife and I were in Paris looking for interesting things to do. Imagine our surprise when we came across a museum that’s actually built into the Parisian sewer system.
If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for this kind of stuff, so I immediately knew I wanted to go. Fortunately, my wife humored me even though she had good reason to suspect that it would stink. Spoiler: It did. Not as bad as I suspected, but still. With exception to the reception area, the entire museum sits beneath the streets of Paris. That means you get to breathe thick, damp air, and enjoy a constant musky smell as you walk around.
Still, I found the price well worth it. While I can’t say I ever fully got used to the peculiar stench, the museum gives you a firsthand look into this fascinating piece of engineering. From long dark tunnels, to dredging boats, to sluice gates, you get up close and personal, allowing you to truly appreciate the amount of work and planning that goes into managing a large city’s waste.
For those wondering, the signs around the museum contain tons of fun information, but they are all in French. Fortunately, they carry a few binders in different languages that have transactions of everything. As you walk around the sewer, each sign has a number on it, giving the museum a natural and easy to follow flow as you learn information.
On that note, what do you learn? I won’t spoil all of it for you, but here are a few of my favorite things.
Main Tunnels
Large tunnels run beneath the streets all over Paris. They’re large enough that I, being over six feet tall, can stand upright. It’s a little tricky to see, but they also have two main walkways on either side of the tunnel.
If you take a closer look, you can see one of the sewer vehicles they used to use to help break up blockages in the flow. The museum showed off a few of these, but the main thing I learned is that I don’t ever want to ride one…
Smaller Sewer Tunnels
The Paris sewers follow a fairly simple idea. Small pipes lead to bigger pipes, which lead to tunnels, which lead to bigger tunnels. Many of these smaller tunnels are still plenty large enough for workers to walk though, but they either have to waddle on the sides, or walk through the muck.
You can see how long and dark these smaller tunnels can get. The museum doesn’t have you walk down any active tunnels this size, but they did build a replica tunnel you can walk through to get all the idea without all the nasty.
Some Fun Paris Sewer Facts
- The Paris Sewers were first built in the 13th century
- Before modern times, sewer workers didn’t wear any special equipment. Today, however, they have special suits, tools, and gear to help protect them.
- The Paris Sewers Span over 2,600 km or 1615 miles.
For more information, you can visit the museum’s website.
